Mute for stringed musical instruments



Aug. 13, 1946. R. B. KINGMAN MUTE FOR STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS I Filed July 15, 1944 25 2e 7 iwwllfl Patented Aug. 13, 1946 MUTE FOR STRINGED MIUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Russell B. Kingman, Orange, N. J.

Application July 13, 1944, Serial No. 544,663

Claims.

This invention relates to mutes for stringed musical instruments such as violins, viola-s, cellos, bass-viols and the like.

This invention has for an object to provide a novel mute adapted to be slidably mounted on and between a selected pair of strings of the instrument to be served thereby, subject to quick and easy manipulation, whereby it may be moved into and out of muting engagement with the string supporting bridge of the instrument, and so as to be thus readily available for use by the performer at any time during the playing of the instrument.

The invention has for a further object to provide a comparatively small, one-piece muting device of substantially button-like form having a circular butt portion and an overhanging head portion of enlarged diameter, said portions oeing shaped to provide an intermediate annular string receiving groove or channel, the side walls of which are inwardly convergent, whereby, when the muting device is mounted on and between the carrying strings, the latter engage in diametrically opposite portions of the groove or channel so as to bear against a minimum area of the wall surfaces thereof, thereby not only reducing wear on the strings, and avoiding relative vibration or buzzing, but so balancing the device on a transverse axis as to readily permit some yieldable tilting thereof against the ten- I sion of the supporting strings when the device is slid. forward on the strings and its overhanging head portion thus brought into muting engagement with the string supporting bridge of the instrument served thereby.

Other objects of this invention, not at this time more particularly enumerated, will be understood from the following detailed description of the same.

Illustrative embodiments of this inventionare :1

shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a stringed instrument, showing the mute of this invention applied thereto, and wherein the mute is shown by full lines in its operative or in-service position, and by broken lines in its retracted or outof -service position.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevational view of the mute as mounted on the strings and as moved into muting engagement with the string supporting bridge of the instrument.

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the mute as mounted on supporting instrument strings; and Fig. 4 is a further enlarged vertical sectional view of the mute.

Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of a somewhat modified form of the mute; and Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view of such modified form thereof.

Fig. '7 is a top plan view of another modified form of the mute according to this invention shown in its operative or in-service position; and Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view of the same.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of the mute showing its bridge engaging surface coated with a suitable cushioning substance.

Similar characters of reference are employed in the above described views, to indicate corresponding parts.

The reference character In indicates the body of a stringed musical instrument, such, e. g., as a violin, the strings I l of which are anchcored to a tail-piece l2, to pass thence over the bridge l3 to the neck of the instrument. The mute device of this invention is adapted to be mounted on a pair of the strings ll (preferably the middle strings), in connection with the portions thereof which extend between the tail-piece l2 and the bridge I3.

The mute, in one embodiment thereof as shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, comprises a substantially circular button-like formation having a circular butt portion l4 and an over-hanging head portion l5 of enlarged diameter, said parts being preferably integral whereby the mute device is of one-piece form. Said butt portion 14 is of frusto-conical shape, to provide inwardly and upwardly inclined side wall surfaces l6. The head-portion I5 is of substantially circular disklike form, having at the inner part of its under side a fiat plane surface I! which intersects the plane of the side wall surfaces I 6 of the butt portion l4. Outwardly of said flat plane surface ll, the underside of said head portion is provided with an upwardly and outwardly inclined or tapered annular surface or chamfer l8 extending to the periphery of said head portion, which tapered annular surface l8, in the main, extends beyond the maximum base diameter of said butt portion l4. Preferably, the inclined side wall surfaces Id of the butt portion In extend upwardly somewhat beyond the plane of the flat surface part I! of the head portion l5, and inwardly of said fiat surface part ll. The under surface of said head portion is undercut to provide an upwardly and inwardly inclined surface i9 which converges upon said inclined side wall surfaces it of said butt portion I 4. Said inclined sid wall surfaces 18 and the fiat plane surfaces I! together form the bounding convergent side Walls of an annular string receiving groove or channel C dis- 3 posed intermediate the butt portion It and the head portion l5.

To apply the described mute device to the desired pair of instrument strings I I by which it is to be carried, said strings are spread apart so that the butt portion l4 may be passed downwardly therebetween, whereby topermit the strings to respectively enter diametrically opposite sides of the annular string receiving groove or channel and so as to slightly Wedge between the inclined side wall surfaces N5 of said butt portion and the opposing flat plane surface ll of the head portion. The mute being thus applied to the supporting strings II, the latter may be tuned. The strings, when under tuned tension, tend to press and slightly conformably wedge into the opposite sides of the groove or channel, whereby to firmly and somewhat frictionally grip the mute therebetween, and yet in such manner as to readily permit manually induced sliding movements of the mute along said strings toward and from the string supporting bridge l3. Due to the circular form of the groove or channel, the strings actually engage but a limited extent of the groove or channel sides; because of this and by reason of the tensional firmness of the grip of the strings, tendency of the mute to vibrate relative to the strings or sympathetically therewith is substantially avoided, and consequently undesirable buzzing or rattling of the mute, when disposed on the strings in out-of-service position is eliminated. Furthermore, the substantially two-point support of the mute by the engaging strings on a diametric or transverse axial line, allows for yield 2;

able tilting thereof against the tension of the supporting strings so as to urge the mute into firm muting engagement with the bridge i3, when moved into engagement therewith.

To bring the mute into operative engagement with the bridge Hi, the mute is slid forward on its supporting strings until the underlying tapered surface or chamber l8 engages and rides up onto the top edge of the bridge (as shown in Figs. 1 and 2). mute only a forward segment of the projecting marginal part of the head portion 15 contacts the bridge, but this contact is firm and of excellent muting eifect, due to the tilt of the mute and the down-thrusting tension exerted thereon by the supporting strings which has already been adverted to. When service of the mute is no longer required, the same may be quickly disengaged from the bridge it by sliding the same rearwardly on the supporting strings, so that it is disposed on the latter in a convenient location between the bridge l3 and tail-piece I2 (see broken line representation of the mute shown in Fig. 1).

As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the mute may be optionally modified by providing lineal grooves 30 extending outwardly from points adjacent to the annular string receiving groove o channel and in the lines of the respective supporting strings II by which the mute is carried. Ihe depths of these lineal grooves 36 may be nicely predethermined so as to give a desired clearance for the supporting strings H, whereby to predetermine the tensional pressure exerted upon the mute when tilted by operative muting engagement with the bridge 13.

In Figs. 7 and 8 is shown another modified form of mute embodying the general principles of this invention. In this form, the position of the butt and head portions is reversed, i. e. the butt por- In such bridge engaging position of the i tion 20 is uppermost and the head portion lowermost. The butt portion 29 is of frusto-conical shape having inwardly and downwardly inclined sides 21. The upper surface of the head portion 22 provides a flat plane surface 23 which intersects the plane of the side surfaces 2! of said butt portion 28, and inwardly of said flat plane surface 23 is a downwardly and inwardly inclined surface 24 which converges upon said inclined side surfaces 2! of the butt portion 28. Said inclined side surfaces 2! and the flat plane surface 23 together form bounding convergent side walls of an annular string receiving groove or channel C". The external or underside of said head portion 22 is formed to provide a downwardly and inwardly inclined tapered surface or chamfer 25. Indenting the outer marginal por tions of said head portion 22 are spaced lineal slots 26 adapted, when the mute is operatively mounted on the carrier strings H, to be respectively aligned lengthwise to the respective carrier strings. When the mute of this modified form is operatively mounted on and between the carrier strings I i, so as to engage the latter respectively in opposite sides of the string receiving groove or channel C, the head portion 22 underlies the strings, with the segregated tongue portion 21 which lies between the slots 26 directed toward the bridge 13. When the mute is slid forward on the strings I i into muting engagement with the bridge IS, the chamfered underside of said tongue portion 21 will ride up onto the top edge of the bridge, thus tilting the mute against down thrusting tension of the supporting strings. The slots 5 allow the tongue portion 21 to pass upwardly between the strings, and the length of said slots may be predetermined so that engagement of their ends with the string will determine more or less the degree of tensional down-pressure permitted to be exercised upon the forward side of the mute by the strings.

In the several forms of the mute above de" scribed, and especially as to those of Figs. 56 and Figs. 7Ei, if desired side parts of the head portions may be trimmed away to provide straight finger engaging surfaces parallel to the supporting strings, as indicated by dotted lines :5 in Fig. 5, which surfaces also provide indication for proper positioning the mute for alignment of its lineal grooves or slots with and in the direction of the strings.

As indicated in Fig. 9 the under surface of the tongue portion 21 may, if desired, be coated with a suitable cushioning substance such 1 as rubber or the like, whereby to cushion its operative contact with the bridge l3. In like manner the bridge contacting portions of the other described forms of the mute may also be so coated with cushioning substance.

It will be understood that the mute of this invention may bemade of any suitable rigid material, such as metal, plastic material, wood or the like. It may be proportioned or sized, as to thickness of head especially, whereby to give desired weight to the same, or, if desired, the head or butt portion may be hollowed to receive cast lead or the like to give desired weight thereto.

Having nowdescribed my invention, I claim:

1. A mute for a stringed instrument having a bridge by which its strings are supported comprising a unitary body substantially circular form provided with a frusto-conical butt portion and a head portion of larger diameter having, at its underside, a flat plane surface per pendicular to the axis of the body and disposed to overhang said butt portion, whereby said flat plane surface of said head and the sides of said butt portion are in converging relation to thereby provide an annular substantially V-shaped string receiving and gripping channel intermediate said butt and head portions, and freely extending underside parts of said head portion being upwardly inclined to permit movement thereof onto the instrument bridge when the mute is slid forward on the supporting strings into muting engagement with said bridge.

2. A mute for a stringed instrument having a bridge by which its strings are supported comprising a unitary body of substantially circular form provided with a butt portion and a head portion of increased diameter, said body having an annular V-shaped string receiving channel intermediate said butt and head portions, the annularly extending convergent walls of said channel being adapted to both slightly spread and grip the strings straddled by said body, said head portion having recesses adapted to receive said straddled strings by and between which the body is supported, and the freely extending underside marginal part of said head portion being upwardly inclined to permit movement thereof onto the instrument bridge when the mute is slid forward on the supporting strings into muting engagement with said bridge.

3. A mute for a stringed instrument having a bridge by which its strings are supported comprising a unitary body of substantially circular form provided with a butt portion and a head portion of increased diameter, said body having an annular V-shaped string receiving channel intermediate said butt and head portions the amiularly extending convergent walls of said channel being adapted to both slightly spread and grip the strings straddled by said body, said head portion having recesses adapted to receive said straddled strings by and between which the body is supported, and the freely extending underside marginal part of said head portion being upwardly inclined to permit movement thereof onto the instrument bridge when the mute is slid forward on the supporting strings into muting engagement with said bridge, said upwardly inclined underside part being coated with a cushioning substance.

4. A mute for a stringed instrument having a bridge by which its strings are supported comprising a unitary body of substantially circular form provided with a butt portion and a head portion of larger diameter, said body having an annular V-shaped string receiving channel intermediate said butt and head portions, the annularly extending convergent walls of said channel being adapted to both slightly spread and grip the strings straddled by said body, and the freely extending underside marginal part of said head portion being upwardly inclined to permit movement thereof onto the instrument bridge when the mute is slid forward on the supporting string into muting engagement with said bridge.

5. A mute for a stringed instrument having a bridge by which its strings are supported comprising a unitary body of substantially circular form provided with a butt portion and a head portion of larger diameter, said body having an annular V-shaped string receiving channel intermediate said butt and head portions, the annularly extending convergent walls of said channel being adapted to both slightly spread and grip the strings straddled by said body, the freely extending underside marginal part of said head portion being upwardly inclined to permit movement thereof onto the instrument bridge when the mute is slid forward on the sup-porting strings into muting engagement with said bridge, said upwardly inclined underside part being coated with a cushioning substance.

RUSSELL B. KINGMAN. 

